Cristiano Ronaldo’s $102M 2009 Fee To Rise, Breaking Pogba Mark?

Cristiano Ronaldo has done remarkable things since being sold to Real Madrid by Manchester United in 2009, winning just about every individual award and team title. Ronaldo’s accomplishments have hardly come as a shock — his 2009 transfer fee was a whopping £80m, or $102 million, demonstrating high expectations. Now with Ronaldo reportedly unhappy in Spain after some tax evasion charges were floated, the dynamic forward may find a new team. Manchester United is reportedly one of the teams he’d like to join — or rejoin.

There’s no guarantee it’ll happen, of course. But if it did, what kind of interest would Ronaldo’s accomplishments in the interim amount to? In other words, what kind of premium above the $102 million would his transfer fee command now? Despite the fact that Ronaldo, 32, has less future left than he did in 2009, some experts think his transfer fee could surpass the current record holder Paul Pogba, 24, whose move from Juventus to Manchester United in 2016 cost €105 M — or more than $117 million. Were Ronaldo to command $120 million to edge Pogba, it would be nearly 20% gain on his previous transfer cost.